Dear All, is sleep deprivation a feature of UC. I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep each day. I fall asleep mostly from exhaustion but I wake up a few hours later and can't get back to bed. I am also on some level of remission so I don't have the urgencies but I'm hardly back to 'normal'. How does one handle sleep problems? Are there over-the-counter remedies? Or should I get a prescription drug. Just having to take another medication is depressing. Also, I'm worried I'll get addicted to any sleep medication.

As far as I know, insomnia isn't one of the "side benefits" of UC. If you've been on Prednisone recently, it could still be getting out of your system and keeping you awake. Some people say taking a vitamin in the evening keeps them awake, so you might make sure you take it in the morning.

I've always had trouble sleeping, since I was a child. Because my problem is so chronic and because I take a lot of other meds, I also hesitate to take sleep aids. If I get too sleep deprived, I'll take a Benadryl or Chlortrimetron an hour or two before bedtime. They're both antihistamines, but they do make most people sleepy. Just don't take them every night, or the effect will wear off.

Otherwise, I've just adopted the philosophy that my brain will sleep when it needs to. And, at my DH's urging, I sleep when I can. If I feel a need for a short nap after work, I take one.

Hi--I've used ambien off and on, but haven't ever been able to definitively tell if it is bad for my colitis. But yeah, colitis and sleep are not a good combo. Good luck, and yes, sleep whenever you can--you need it for the healing. Lb

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